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The first of the three
portions of the "Shema'" contains the
command to love God with heart, soul, and
might; to remember all commandments and
instruct the children therein; to recite
the words of God when retiring or rising;
to bind those words on the arm and the
head, and to inscribe them on the
door-posts and on the city gates. The
second portion contains the promise of
reward for the fulfillment of the laws,
and the threat of punishment for their
transgression, with a repetition of the
contents of the first portion. The third
portion contains the law concerning the
tzizit, as a reminder that all the laws of
God are to be obeyed, as a warning against
following the evil inclinations of the
heart, and, finally, in remembrance of the
exodus from Egypt. The commandment to read
the "Shema'", twice daily is ascribed by
Josephus to Moses ("Ant." iv. 8), and it
has always been regarded as a divine
commandment (see, however, Sifre, Deut. 31
[ed. Friedmann. p. 72b. note 17]).
"Shema'" Ritual
The reading of the "Shema'"
morning, and evening is spoken of in the
Mishnah (Ber. i. 1-2) as a matter of
course, and rests upon the interpretation
of
("when thou liest down, and when thou
risest up"; Deut. vi. 7). The school of
Shammai takes it literally, saying that
the evening "Shema'" shall be read in a
reclining or resting posture, and that the
morning "Shema'" shall be read standing;
the school of Hillel asserts that it
refers not to the posture, but to the
times of reclining and rising. The time
for reading the evening "Shema'" begins
with twilight and ends four hours after,
according to R. Eliezer, or at midnight,
according to the "hakamim" (the majority
of rabbis); or it lasts till the rise of
the morning star, according to R. Gamaliel
(Ber. i. 1-3). This difference of opinion,
rests on the interpretation of "lying
down," as to whether it means the regular
or the latest hour of retiring, or the
whole time during which people usually
sleep—that is, all night. Similarly, the
time of reading the morning "Shema'" is
fixed by the hakamim to begin at daybreak,
when there is sufficient light to
distinguish between purple and white, or
to recognize a person, after a short
acquaintance, at a distance of four ells,
and to last until the sun's rays are seen.
R. Joshua, however, extends the time until
three hours of daylight have passed,
because princes and men of leisure do not
rise till then (ib.). Queen Helen of
Adiabene fixed a gold candelabrum in front
of the Temple, which reflected the first
rays of the sun and thus indicated the
time of reciting the "Shema'" (Yoma 37b).
Accompanying
Benedictions
The Benedictions preceding
and following the Shema'" (Ber. i. 4) are
credited to the members of the Great
Assembly. They are of Essene origin (see
Rapoport in his biography of kalir), and
were first instituted in the Temple
liturgy (comp. Tamid v. 1). The
composition of the "Shema'" itself
developed gradually. R. Judah b. Zabida,
in explaining why the portion regarding
tzizit was incorporated, says that the
Rabbis had proposed to add the chapter of
Balak (referring especially to Num. xxiii.
18-24), but that they finally decided not
to do so, because they thought the
"Shema'" already sufficiently long, and
they did not care to overburden the
congregation (Ber. 12b).
According to the Talmud,
the reading of the "Shema'" morning and
evening fulfils the commandment "Thou
shalt meditate therein day and night"
(Josh. i. 8; Men. 99b). As soon as a child
begins to speak his father is directed to
teach him the verse "Moses commanded us a
law, even the inheritance of the
congregation of Jacob" (Deut. xxxiii. 4),
and teach him to read the "Shema'" (Suk.
42a). The reciting of the first verse of
the "Shema'" is called the acceptance of
the yoke of the kingship of God" (Ber. ii.
5). Judah ha-Nasi, being preoccupied with
his studies, put his hand over his eyes
and repeated the first verse in silence (Ber.
13a).
The response "Baruk Shem"
("Praised be the name of His glorified
kingdom forever and ever") is ascribed to
the patriarch Jacob by R. Joshua b. Levi,
who says: "Jacob, just before he died, was
about to reveal the 'end of days' to his
children, when the Shekinah suddenly
turned away from him. Jacob feared that
perhaps some one of his children was
unworthy. But they all exclaimed, 'Hear, O
Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is
One,' by which they meant, 'In God we are
all one'; whereupon Jacob responded, 'Baruk
Shem'" (Pes. 56a; comp. Gen. R. xcviii.).
Cabalistic Views
The first verse of the
"Shema'" is recited aloud, first by the
hazzan and then by the congregation, which
responds with "Baruk Shem" in silence.
Only on Yom Kippur is this response said
aloud (comp. Zohar, Terumah, p. 133b). The
remainder of the "Shema'" is read in
silence. This custom was approved by R.
Hai Gaon and R. Solomon b. Adret (Moses b.
Isaac Alashkar, Responsa, No. 10,
Sabbionetta, 1553); it is the Ashkenazic
custom; but the Sephardim recite aloud the
whole of the "Shema'" except the "Baruk
Shem." Pronouncing the evening "Shema',"
however, is not obligatory, though it is
meritorious. The evening "Shema'" is based
on the verse "Commune with your own heart
upon your bed" (Ps. iv. 4). R. Isaac said:
"Whoever reads the 'Shema'' on his couch
is as one that defends himself with a
two-edged sword." "Let them sing aloud
upon their beds . . . a two-edged sword in
their hand" (Ps. cxlix. 5-6). Rabina said:
"Though one that is affrighted [in the
night-time] sees nothing himself, his star
[guardian angel] sees the apparition; his
recourse is to read the 'Shema''" (Meg.
3a).
The Zohar, with reference
to Num. xxviii. 24, says, "One shall,
before lying down, sanctify the High Name
with the 'Shema' Yisrael'" (Zohar, Bala?,
p. 211a). R. Simeon b. Yohai said the
"Shema'" preserves Israel from a foe. It
was the battle-cry of the priest in
calling Israel to arms against an enemy
(Deut. xx. 3; Sotah 42a). It is the last
word of the dying in his confession of
faith. It was on the lips of those who
suffered and were tortured for the sake of
the Law. R. Akiba patiently endured while
his flesh was being torn with iron combs,
and died reciting the "Shema'." He
pronounced the last word of the sentence,
"E?ad" (one) with his last breath (Ber.
61b). During every persecution and
massacre, from the time of the Inquisition
to the slaughter of Kishinef, "Shema'
Yisrael" have been the last words on the
lips of the dying. "Shema' Yisrael" is the
password by which one Jew recognizes
another in every part of the world. Eldad
the Danite, in describing the wars which
his tribe had waged with its Gentile
neighbors, said that on the flag of the
tribe was inscribed the words "Shema'
Yisrael" (Jellinek, "B. H." iii. 9; A.
Epstein, "Eldad ha-Dani," pp. 26, 27,
Presburg, 1891). See Prayer.
Bibliography: Maimonides,
Yad. keri'at
Shema', i.-iv.;
Shul?an 'Aruk, Ora? Hayyim, 58-88,
235-236, 239; Lewysohn, Me?ore Minhagim, §
87;
Landshuth, Seder Bikkur Holim,
Introduction, § 17.K. |
